Spike-extractor



O. H. HECTOR.

SPIKE EXTRACTOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 20. 1920.

Patented Mar. 8, 1921' OLINTHUS H. HECTOR, OF UVALDE, TEXAS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 8, 1921.

Application filed May 20, 1920. Serial No. 382,941.

drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 1s a perspective view of the gripper and gripper lever, the rail and spike being shown in dotted lines, and the jaws of the gripper being shown as engaged with thespixe, the gripper lever being in lower position.

Fig. .2 is a side view of the gripper and gripper lever, as in use, the gripper lever being in upper position.

Fig. 3 is a similar view, with the gripper lever in lower position, and the extractor lever engaged with the gripper and bearing on the rail.

Fig. 4 is a similar view after the first actuation of the extractor lever, the fulcrum block being in forward position engaged with the rail.

The invention has relation to spike extractors and it consists in the novel construction and combinations of parts, as hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention, the numeral 2 designates a gripper for the spike head 3, said gripper consisting of an upper transverse por tion a, provided with depending spring branches or legs 5, inturned at their lower ends at 6, 6, to form jaws designed to engage below the head of the spike.

These jaws 6 are normally spaced apart by an interval 7 sufiicient to admit the head of the spike therebetween without any lifting engagement, and means are provided to force said jaws inwardly together below the head of the spike into lifting engagement therewith, said means consisting of a lever 8, having a its lower end a loop 9, the end bar 10 of which has fulcrum engagement with perforations 11 of lugs 12 of said legs 5, the side bars 13 of said loop being designed for cam engagement with the said legs to force them together and thereby force the jaws 6 together as stated, and to hold them so forced together through frictional engagement therewith, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

It being then requisite to raise the spike in order that it may be extracted, a lever 13 on the order of a crow bar is engaged with the top 4: of the spike gripper 2, the lower or work end of said extracting lever being arcuately upturned at 14 into engagement with the upturned rear edge portion 15 of said top 1-, the object being to retain said lever and said gripper in sufficiently permanent engagement to prevent accidental or casual disengagement of lever and gripper, while admitting of such disengagement when desired.

A fulcrum being taken upon the top of the rail 16, the extracting lever is depressed at its power end to lift the gripper 2 and extract the spike partially, it then becom: ing necessary for another lifting movement of the spike for complete extraction thereof.

To this end, the extracting lever is provided with a slidable block 17, -adapted to he slid thereon into position to afford a new and raised fulcrum for the said lever upon the rail, as shown in F ig.'4.

A second operation of the extracting lever bein then effected, the gripper and spike are given a further lifting movement to completely extract the spike.

I claim 1. A spike extractor, consisting of a gripper having an upper transverse portion and depending spring legs provided at their lower ends with inturned aws adapted to be engaged below the head of a spike, and a lever having a loop end provided with fulcrum connection with said legs and adapted to engage the same to force said jaws together, and an extracting lever having engagement with said transverse portion of said gripper and provided with a slidable fulcrum block.

2. A spike extractor, consisting of a gripper having an upper transverse portion having an upturned rear edge portion, and depending spring legs provided at their lower ends with inturned jaws adapted to be engaged below the head of a spike, and a. lever having a loop end provided with fulcrum connection with said legs and adapted to engage the same to force said jaws together, and an extracting lever having an arcuately up -turned point end engaging said upturned-rear edge portion of the transverse portion of the gripper, and provided with a slidable fulcrum block.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OL'INTHUS H. HECTOR.

" Witnesses:

A. D. BOWMAN, V J B. JOYCE. 

